You may not immediately think of Jewish food when you hear the word “dumplings,” but there’s a surprisingly wide variety of them in the Jewish kitchen. From Bukharian dushpara to Persian gondi, Ashkenazi kreplach to Kurdish kubbeh, let these 10 comforting dumpling dishes soothe and nourish you:
Chicken Pelmeni
These simple dumplings were popular across the former Soviet Union, and can be made with any sort of meat or mushrooms. This recipe uses ground chicken and is utterly delicious. Just be sure to roll out your dough super thin.
Meat Dushpara
These safta-approved Bukharian ground-beef-filled dumplings taste like a hug after a bad day.
Kreplach
There’s no need to be intimidated by these iconic triangular dumplings — let us walk you through the process and prepare for the best chicken soup of your life.
Lox and Schmear Rangoon
Like a fried version of your favorite bagel breakfast. Jewish Christmas doesn’t get any better than this.
Beef Manti
Manti are popular in Jewish and non-Jewish communities across Central Asia and Eastern Europe, but this is how we like them best: pillowy, meat-stuffed dumplings in a broth-y tomato sauce. Bonus: Instead of making the dough from scratch, use wonton wrappers to simplify the process.
Cherry Vareniki
These half-moon dumplings straddle the line between sweet and savory. When made with sour cherries, in the precious few weeks they’re in season each year, they make a fabulous main; or top with sour cream and cherry sauce for dessert.
Kubbeh Selek
Beloved in Kurdish and Iraqi Jewish communities — and increasingly further afield — these beef-stuffed semolina dumplings in a vibrant, beet-based broth are pure comfort food.
Old-Fashioned Apple Dumplings
Apple dumplings have been a comfort food in the States and U.K. for centuries. Here, this time-honored dessert is given a sweet Rosh Hashanah twist with the addition of a honey sauce.
Gondi
These chicken-and-chickpea-flour dumplings are the Persian dish-of-choice to welcome Shabbat. With their light texture, gently spiced interior and golden hue, it’s easy to see why.
Matzah Ball Casserole
This chicken and matzah ball casserole is my mother-in-law’s creation, invented as an alternative to the sacks of potatoes consumed over Passover. I’ve always thought about it as an Ashkenazi take on chicken and dumplings: hearty, comforting and beautifully beige.
